First Dog for a First Family

Three promising looking children's picture books feature the search for a "first dog" for the first family. On the night Barack Obama was elected to become our 44th President, he made one very particular promise to his two daughters, Malia and Sasha. He promised to get them a puppy to live with them in the White House. After a lengthy search, Bo came to live at the White House.

The photo at the right is the official portrait of the Obama family dog, "Bo", a Portuguese water dog, on the South Lawn of the White House. (photo by Chuck Kennedy on Flicker).

Which Puppy? by Kate Feiffer, illustrated by Jules Feiffer.

Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, $16.99 ISBN 978-1-416-99147-2

Click the player to see how Which Puppy? was created.

First Dog by J. Patrick Lewis and Beth Zapitello, illustrated by Tim Bowers. Sleeping Bear Press, $14.95 ISBN 978-1-58536-467-1

A dog with high expectations sets out in search of the perfect home. He searches all over the world, meeting many different breeds of dogs and learning about their way of life, before he eventually finds his way back to the good old USA. He hears that a family in Washington, D.C. is looking for the perfect dog to become a member of their family. Will this be a perfect match for them all?

Click here for a First Dog coloring page.

Now Hiring: White House Dog by Gina Bazer and Renanah Lehner, illustrated by Andrew Day. Walker Books for Young Readers, $16.99 ISBN 978-0-8027-8486-5

After months of begging their parents for a new dog to join their family in the White House, the First Daughters decide to take matters into their own hands. The sisters create a sign, post it on the White House lawn, and very soon the doorbell begins to ring. Many different dogs show up to apply for the job presenting their qualifications. Will it be the Basset Hound with the super sensitive nose, the poodle who loves to shop, or one of several other highly qualified candidates?

Click on the video to see Bo's first day.

Click here to view other White House pets.

White House 101: Facts and fun for all ages.

Connecting to Literature

Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf

Eleven-year-old Milada remembers the night. The night when there was pounding on the door and Nazis in her Czechoslovakian home. The night when her grandmother pressed a garnet pin into her hand and told her to never forget who she was. But since that time Milada had a difficult time keeping that promise. Having been forcibly removed from her family and taken to a bizarre Nazi-run girl's school, Milada quickly learns the reason for her presence in the Lebensborn center; her shiny golden hair and bright blue eyes. Renamed Eva, Milada is part of a system intent upon turning her into a "good" German citizen. The kind of place where she can be taught the evils of the Jews, the glory of Hitler, and the joys of being adopted into a real German family's home. Based on events following the destruction of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, author Joan Wolf tells of the real Lebensborn center in Poland, the crimes it committed against an untold number of girls during WWII, and what it takes to stay true to your heritage.
(excerpt from :http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/310013631.html)

Kids are going to have questions about this book:

Why did they take the families away?
Why were the men and women separated?
Why did Jewish people have to wear yellow stars on their clothing?
Why did they take Milada's family if she was not a jew?
Why were the Nazi soldiers and the doctors interested only in the children that looked a particular way?
What does that word Aryan mean?
Why did they change Milada's name to Eva?
Where is the place where the story took place? (Lidice, Czechoslovakia)
Is this a true story?



Who was Adolf Hitler?

Click on the image of Hitler to view a slide show.














Visit the Lidice memorial web site and learn more about the tragedy of these families.